Not applicable.
Not applicable.
Not applicable.
1. Field of the Invention
The invention is related to the field of communications, and in particular, to an autonomous multi-services card that connects to a host computer and a telephone device to a communications network.
2. Statement of the Problem
A network interface card fits into the slot of a host computer. The network interface card allows the host computer to communicate with a communications network. Typically, the host computer provides control input to the network interface card. Unfortunately, communications performance is adversely affected by using the host computer to control the network interface card.
The host computer typically executes an operating system and a variety of software applications. Thus, host computer processing time is shared across multiple software components. Communications performance suffers as a result because the host computer may not provide control input to network interface card in a timely manner. Since many forms of communication are real-time in nature, such as a telephone conversation, the lack of timely host computer control can severely disrupt communications. In addition one of the software applications may cause the host computer to crash, so that no control input is provided to the network interface card. In this case, communications would cease altogether.
The invention solves the above problem with an autonomous multi-services card that can fit into the slot of a computer, but that provides internal control over communications so that host computer control input is not required. Communications performance is improved, especially for real time communications such as telephone conversations, because the autonomous multi-services card does not wait on late or failed control input from the host computer.
The autonomous multi-services card is comprised of a communications processing system connected to a computer interface, telephone interface, network interface, and video interface. The computer interface is coupled to a host computer by a host computer connection and exchanges data with the host computer connection. The telephone interface is connected to a telephone device by a telephone connection and exchanges voice with the telephone connection. The video interface is coupled to a video device by a video connection and exchanges video signals with the video connection. The network interface is connected to a communications network by a network connection and exchanges the data, video signals, and voice signals with the network connection.
The communications processing system controls: 1) the exchange of voice signals with the telephone connection, 2) the exchange of video signals with the video connection, 3) the exchange of data with the host computer connection, and 4) the exchange of the data, video signals, and voice signals with the network connection. Communication paths connect the communications processing system with the computer interface, the telephone interface, the network interface, and the video interface.
The autonomous multi-services card is comprised of a substrate that is connected to the computer interface, the telephone interface, the network interface, the video interface, the communications processing system, and the communication paths. The substrate physically attaches to a slot in the host computer. The host computer connection typically includes a contact/socket type connection.
It should be noted that although the autonomous multi-services card may receive power from the host computer connection, the communications processing system can control the exchange of voice or video signals without any control input from the host computer. This represents a distinct advantage over prior systems that rely on the host computer for control input. In these prior systems, communications between the telephone device and the communications network would suffer or fail if the control input from the host computer was delayed.